A row broke out after the flags suddenly appeared in the village.
A row has broken out over flags in a UK village (Image: Getty)
Flag campaigners have clashed with locals in a UK village over flags that “breed racism”. Raise the Colours shared a video of the argument after flags were pinned to lamp posts along a high street in Birmingham, where the controversial campaign all began after flags were removed by council workers.
The campaigners argued the flags represented “pride” and “patriotism”, while the local in Harborne said it only bred “racism” and represented “nationalism”. Pointing to one of the flags, the person asked campaigners: “How does that create unity? What does it breed? Racism. It creates racism.”
The local Business Improvement District also disassociated itself from any activity, stating it had “no prior knowledge” the flags were going up after they appeared in Harborne on October 5.
A spokesperson for Harborne BID said: “The Harborne Village Business Improvement District (BID) is aware that a number of flags were installed on lamp columns along Harborne High Street on Sunday, without permission or prior consultation.
“We would like to make it clear that the Harborne Village BID had no involvement in, or prior knowledge of, this activity.
“The installation of these flags was not authorised by the BID, the city council, or any organisation officially connected with the management of Harborne High Street.
It added: “We would like to reiterate that Harborne is a welcoming and inclusive place for everyone who lives, works, shops and visits here.”
Raise the Colours released the video on X on October 6. The discussion quickly got heated, with an argument sparking over whether Tommy Robinson’s ethos is racist and discussing opposing views on immigration.
The controversial campaign can be traced back to July, when the number of flags began to grow in Birmingham’s Weoley Castle and Northfield neighbourhoods.
A group known as the Weoley Warriors took credit, saying they wanted to honour English pride and history.
However, Birmingham City Council warned residents to remove flags from lampposts on August 15 for safety reasons while maintenance work took place.
